I want to try again

[PlayWithFire]

I came across these boards a long time ago, and was fascinated by the concept. For about a week, i kept a good dream journal, and actually got to the point where i was able to remember 3-4 dreams from one night. Then i got lazy. I stopped trying to remember my dreams. What i found out works for me is chanting the phrase "I am gonna remember my dreams" in my head. I would chant that phrase, spell it, visualize it and just try to get it very deep into my head. It worked, as long as i stayed focused. But, when i would wake up with a great dream, I'd be too lazy to write it down and just fall right back asleep. All i would remember when i would wake up afterwards that i had a cool dream. That's it. I can maybe recall a feeling, but that's about it. I've been trying to at least improve my dream recall over the last few weeks. I try to do reality checks though the day, but my mind gets lazy. One thing that i found helps is changing the text banner on my cell phone to read "Are you dreaming?" that's causing me to do quite a few checks throughout the day, but i don't thinks that enough. What i found out is that if i spend the day thinking about dreaming, and reading about dreaming, i will have a good detailed dream, and probably remember it. The problem is writing it. I am going to try keeping a voice recorder next to my bed and actually speaking out my dream, and typing it up later, to see if that works. I hope it does. Anyone uses that technique? I'd love to get some advice on how to force myself to write my dreams down. I have lucid dream fairly regularly. I am rarely in control, but i do know that i am dreaming. And there's of course the problem of never remembering them. Thanks, and wish me luck.

[Gwendolyn]

Though I've never tried this technique, I do not see why it wouldn't work. I think writing really embeds the dream in your head, and I am not sure speaking would have that same result. Unless you think about and repeat your dreams throught the day. Writing the dreams is almost what makes them concrete....I don't know if simply speaking them would do it, but it's worth a try.

[dudesuperior]

Welcome back PlayWithFire! Originally posted by PlayWithFire I'd love to get some advice on how to force myself to write my dreams down. I'm too lazy to write them down in detail when ever I wake up. I just jot down the main plot of the dream, and any litle detail that i'm likely to forget, and perhaps a sketch of the dreamscape. I type it up much later in the day.

[PlayWithFire]

Originally posted by Gwendolyn+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gwendolyn)</div> Though I've never tried this technique, I do not see why it wouldn't work. I think writing really embeds the dream in your head, and I am not sure speaking would have that same result. Unless you think about and repeat your dreams through the day. Writing the dreams is almost what makes them concrete....I don't know if simply speaking them would do it, but it's worth a try.[/b] well, i do intend to type the dream later. Although, i am not sure if that would be worse then writing it. I did try that at one point and my recall might have worsened. I haven't done it long enough to actually prove it. Like i said, since i am lazy, i want the quickest way. I figure if i speak it, and then listen to my dream again later as i type it, that ought make it pretty clear. But, even though i can't draw, i do try to make sketch of things in a dream, and that won't be too easy to do do in MS Word. <!--QuoteBegin-dudesuperior and perhaps a sketch of the dreamscape what's a dreamscape? Like the setting of where the dream took place? I'd love to see an example. I am typing this in the morning. I did manage to recall a dream, and it was pretty detailed. It really helped that the dream took place in the town where i grew up. Even though it was like 13 years ago, i still remember it.

[Burns]

Originally posted by PlayWithFire what's a dreamscape? Like the setting of where the dream took place? I'd love to see an example. Here's a Draw Your Dreams thread with some good stuff. Glad to hear you're trying to get back into the habit of recording dreams. It does take a bit of effort to force yourself to write stuff down (or in your case, record it on a tape recorder), but it's well worth it! Good luck!

[PlayWithFire]

thank you burns i might have to go contribute to that thead tonight with some of my craptastic doodles. There are some wierd looking horses that need to be drawn.

[dudesuperior]

A dreamscape is just a landscape that was in your dreams. And yeah, there are some good pics of them on that thread. Gook luck Lucid dreaming!

[PlayWithFire]

well, i realized i can't draw, and beacuse i am choosing to type out my dreams (it will make it easier for me to do a quick search for some dream characthers and dream signs) i think i won't bother drawing and scanning. I may swipe an old Wacom tablet from from work to do a few doodles though. Well, time to go to sleep, let's see if can recall anything Recording me dream worked really well. I spoke it, and listened to it about an hour ago and typed it up.

[PlayWithFire]

don't feel like i need a new thread, and i wanted to share my progress (or the lack of) since i tried to get back into it, i've only recalled a few dreams. Most of them were very loose recolections. In the last 4 days, i just remebmered 1 dream normally, and today woke up with a very, very faint memory of a dream. I tried telling myself i'll wake up and remember my dream, but that doesn't seem to work anymore. I am getting discourages, especially since everyone around me remembers their dreams very naturaly and always tells me about it. I am the only one that's actually trying to get lucid, and i always have to explain it to people. Any pointers?

[Tornado Joe]

Hey fire, quick question - by what method are you waking up in the mornings? By alarm? One thing that can seriously mess up your recall happens just seconds after waking up - and that's your mind's focus. Any movement or distraction can seriously effect what you have been dreaming just minutes before. Think if your mind as pond filled with water. While you're awake, this pond ripples viguriously with thoughts and actions that you perform. When you're at rest, the pond settles, becomes still. Your dreams then become projected onto the surface of the pond, kind of how you'd see the moon refelected onto it. If you are awakened very abruptly, it would be the same as someone dropping a huge stone into your pond - ripples and splashes would break up your image... your dream. If you're able to wake up slowly, naturally - you will likely keep the impression that's in your mind and as you recall one image, you'll slowly remember what happened before, and then before that, and before that... etc.

[PlayWithFire]

i do wake up by alarm, but, it's very, very quiet. I try to wake up before it goes of, and i succeed about half the time. Maybe it is the fact that i move around too much when i wake up, i think i might be doing that I do like the analogy that you gave me, i'll focus on that when i go to bed tonight and see if that will help thank you